Grace And Sin: A Meditation On Rom 5: 12- 6: 23 ( 1)
Romans 5: 20:
“Moreover the law entered that offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”
WHEN our first father, Adam sinned, death entered the world. But until the law was given through Moses, over 2000 years later, death continued to reign in the lives of all men. Every man, however, had a conscience and knew in his/ her heart those things that are good and evil.
The perfect law of God came in later and was given to God’s people, Israel, so that humanity could understand that there was a God- given standard of righteousness. Before the law was given, men were unaware that they were breaking God’s standard of holiness because no standard had been given. Nevertheless, death reigned in the bodies of every fallen man; and the wages of sin is death —
which means experiencing eternal condemnation; being separated from God.
The more we recognise our sins, the more we realise our desperate need for forgiveness, salvation and reconciliation with our God. However, the more we sin, the more we realise that the law was impossible for any of us to keep. The more man recognise his sinfulness, the more sin increases and the more man knows he is guilty. But the more sin increases, the more man becomes aware of his sinfulness; but God’s grace abounds for us.
God’s law came to increase and expand men’s awareness of their trespasses and sins because the law defined sin and unmasked man’s transgressions. But because sin increased and men recognised their sinfulness, God’s remarkable gift of grace also expanded to cleanse the penitent sinner.
Continuing In Sin? Romans 6: 1- 14
Romans 6: 1, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”
Apostle Paul begins this chapter by posing a question about the implications of the statements that ended Chapter 5. There, he wrote that where sin increases, God’s grace super- increases. That is, as sin increases, so does God’s grace abound to cover the sin of all those who trust in Christ’s death. We literally cannot out- sin the grace of God.
What could be more glorious than to know that we have been forgiven of our sins, redeemed from slavery to sin and saved from eternal condemnation by God’s amazing grace,
through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Yet, some would argue that this superabundant grace not only permits the believer to keep on sinning, but encourages a life of sin. God forbid, is Paul’s emphatic response, how shall we, that are dead to sin, still live in
sin?
At salvation we were given a new position in Christ Jesus. When we were born again, we were made a new person in Jesus Christ. When we were saved, we received a new Christ- like nature and were given a new standing in Him; for we have become a new creation in Christ. Having been forgiven of our sin, imputed with His righteousness and received the indwelling life of Christ within our hearts.
It is because of Christ’s substitutionary death, our old life is dead to sin and our new life is alive to Him.
• The Rt. Rev. Enoch Atuboyedia is the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Okrika, Rivers State